Woz loses, Canada advances

Despite the upset of team No. 1 Aleksandra Wozniak Friday, Canada defeated Brazil 2-1 in its final round-robin match of the Fed Cup Americas Zone competition.

That win left it undefeated in the preliminaries. Canada won its pool, and faces the other pool winner, Colombia, in Saturday’s final to determine who earns the spot in the World Group II playoff, to play against one of the first-round losers out of that group, which plays this weekend, for the right to the promotion.

Toronto’s Sharon Fichman started the day off with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Anna-Clara Duarte.

But Wozniak, after winning the first set, lost 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to Maria–Fernanda Alves.

Alves, 26, is currently ranked No. 259, and her peak was only No. 132 back in 2005.

She’s playing $10,000 and $25,000 events these days and even lost in two close sets to Marie-Eve Pelletier in the qualifying in Quebec city last fall, even though Pelletier rarely plays singles any more.

Clay would be Alves’s surface. But the two played in Fed Cup four years ago, on clay (when Alves was closer to her peak), and Wozniak routined her 6-4, 6-0. It’s not a good sign, sort of a continuation of her struggles so far in 2010.

Fortunately, Fichman and Pelletier came back and crunched Duarte and Alves 6-2, 6-1 in the doubles to give Canada the win in the decider.

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